Bala couldn’t see Da Huang and became anxious outside the door, howling and wagging its tail in circles. However, it dared not take a step forward. When someone entered, it waited outside for a while. Once the sound disappeared, it timidly came in, tail tucked between its legs.
“Where’s Alse wolves? Why haven’t I heard any movement from it?” Bahu tossed a bottle of golden wound medicine to Uncle Chaolu from inside the house. “Later, don’t go milk the sheep; Qula has accumulated a big vat. Boil it and filter out the whey.”
“Sure.” Milking whey was easy, and it wouldn’t strain the wound. Uncle Chaolu happily took on the task.
Mi Niang was making scallion oil pancakes in the kitchen. Taking a break, she leaned against the door and watched Bahu carefully milk the sheep. The milk in the bucket made gurgling sounds as it was squeezed out. “Will Da Huang come back? I’m a bit worried.”
“No problem, old horses know the way, and dogs have a better memory than horses. Once the ice melts, it will come back,” Bahu said without stopping his actions. He pointed with his chin at Bala, lying back in its kennel. “And with Alse wolves, Da Huang will surely return.”
However, when it was time to feed the dogs after dinner, Mi Niang called for Alse wolves, but no matter how she called, the dog did not return. Only Bala stretched its neck and eagerly scooped up pieces of meat.
“This morning, just as it was getting light, I saw it wandering around the sheep pen with Da Huang. After Da Huang slipped away on the ice and disappeared, I didn’t see it again,” Chaolu said as he carried a bucket of steaming sheep’s milk. He poured it into the vat with a splash and joked, “Maybe it went to find Da Huang. They stick together from morning till night, almost tying their tails together.”
It was indeed possible; Alse wolves never missed a meal, and this was the first time it hadn’t returned by feeding time. Bahu rolled up his sleeves and continued working, saying, “We’ll know when Da Huang comes back. I didn’t know Alse wolves could be so loyal.” Unlike Bala, this silly dog that only knew how to eat was timid and cowardly. No wonder Da Huang didn’t fancy it.
Mi Niang washed the dishes, dried her hands, and gave the stove to Uncle Chaolu, then walked around the courtyard. She remembered that during the winter when cleaning the sheep pen, a large pile of cow dung and sheep droppings had been shoveled out. She asked Bahu what he planned to do with those things—whether to leave them outside and let the snowmelt wash them away.
“Some will be washed away by the snowmelt, and the rest will be used as fertilizer for the fields. Before going to the foothills, we’ll sprinkle radish seeds on them. When Uncle Muren and the others come back to harvest grass in the autumn, we can dig them out and store them in the cellar,” Bahu explained. While speaking, a lump of butter had already formed. Bahu pinched it into a ball and threw it into a dipper, shaking off the remaining water. “The radishes we eat in winter are grown by ourselves. We only plant this one type of vegetable throughout the year.”
“Do you want a taste?” Bahu pinched a lump of butter and put it directly into his mouth. Making butter was quite tiring, and he needed to take a bite now and then to replenish his energy.
Mi Niang shook her head, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. While the man took a break, she massaged his arms. Even though others took turns with him in churning the butter, his right arm inevitably swelled up by the evening after removing his robe.
Taking the butter, Mi Niang went inside to drain the water. When she came out, she saw Bahu scooping another half bucket of sheep’s milk, continuing to churn. “Are you tired? Take a break.”
“No problem. It happens every year. I was uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, you don’t feel a thing,” Bahu replied. At least this year, someone was there to wipe off the sweat. In previous years, when sweat flowed into his eyes, nobody cared. He was happy. The butter produced during this time was the only thing worth accumulating throughout the year, and after the peak of milk production from ewes passed, he wouldn’t have much work.
Mi Niang pouted. Wooden man, he still couldn’t feel it.
“You take a break; I’ll go milk the sheep. Can you accompany me?” Mi Niang carried her special bucket, and Bahu picked up a chair. The two cautiously stepped on the snow with cleared ice, moving towards the sheep pen step by step.
“UncleChaolu fell here,” Mi Niang said, seeing a large patch of milky-white ice on the snowy ground. She took a closer look.
Bahu chuckled twice, “I wonder if Da Huang licked some of it. Otherwise, it would be a waste.” Both the man and the dog were frugal, reluctant to waste anything. With an abundance of sheep’s milk at home, they couldn’t bear to see it spilled, even licking their lips in regret.
Mi Niang glanced at him. The way he found amusement in the dog’s mishap was truly asking for trouble. No wonder Da Huang didn’t listen to his commands; he was too petty.
But Da Huang was also petty. At noon, when Mi Niang was cooking, it returned covered in mud, with Alse wolves trailing behind, equally disheveled.
“Oh, isn’t this our Alse wolves? I was wondering where you disappeared for half the day. Did you elope with your sweetheart?” Bahu clicked his tongue, scooping two spoonfuls of the just-extracted sheep’s milk into the dog’s bowl. He gloated, “Where did you wander off to? Coming back must have been quite a hassle, huh?”
“Da Huang is back?” Mi Niang peeked out from the kitchen, seeing both dogs burying their heads to lick the sheep’s milk. Bala, like an onlooker, bounced around on the side. “Come on, this is lamb tripe for you two. Fill your stomachs first; the meal will be ready soon.”
Mi Niang offered the lamb tripe to Da Huang’s mouth. Unlike before, it didn’t lift its head and even moved its dog legs to avoid it. Its tail drooped, and it didn’t wag anymore.
“What’s wrong? Scared or tired?” Alsewolves had finished their share of meat. Mi Niang offered the meat to Da Huang again, and it avoided her once more, hiding behind Alse wolves.
Well, did she offend it somehow?
“Must be upset,” Bahu, the one who loved to watch the excitement, chimed in. “It’s definitely because your laughter was too loud this morning; it got angry.”
Mi Niang glared at the man. “Stop stirring up trouble.”
“Then try feeding it again.”
Mi Niang bypassed Alse wolves. This time, Da Huang avoided her again, leaving its backside facing her.
Now Mi Niang had no choice but to believe it. She handed the lamb tripe wrapped in meat to Bahu, giving him a signal to try. Bahu didn’t say anything, just straightforwardly placed the meat near Da Huang’s mouth. Without dodging or avoiding, Da Huang took a bite.
“Good dog!” Bahu excitedly patted his knee, like a bandit forcefully snatching a young lady. “From now on, enjoying delicious food and spicy things with me, we don’t need Mi Niang anymore.”
“Shut up.” Mi Niang kicked Bahu, circled around Da Huang, and touched its neck along its dog’s backside. Seeing it about to move, she quickly let go. Once she released it, Da Huang stayed still.
“Da Huang, in the morning, I wanted to go save you, but Bahu didn’t allow it. He said if I went to save you, he wouldn’t give me food…”
“Don’t talk nonsense; I never said that. Don’t lie to Da Huang.” Bahu lifted Mi Niang forcibly and pushed her towards the kitchen, whispering, “Give the adult dog a chance. You don’t want Da Huang to stay distant from me forever, right? Give it a chance, give it a chance.”
“But it’s mad at me now…”
But she couldn’t slander him either. Bahu continued to plead, “It’s fake. It’s just pretending to see you yield. Don’t give it a good face. In a couple of days, it’ll go back to normal. Hurry up and cook; Da Huang hasn’t had breakfast.”
Mi Niang had no choice. She sat by the stove, reluctantly lighting the fire. She called Da Huang’s name with intermittent tones, muttering in her heart that Da Huang was petty. It wasn’t like she had pushed it down; it was genuinely amusing. Especially its series of cries, sounding like a call for help yet also like scolding.
UncleChaolu glanced at the dog pretending to be deaf lying at the stove door, lifted a basin of whey, and scattered it on frozen bamboo strips. “This dog is quite clever, seems like it’s become cunning.”
Bahu nodded in agreement. Da Huang’s cunning was not less than that of a two or three-year-old child. “I’ve only seen this one with such an interesting personality.” When Mi Niang was around, it circled around him. When Mi Niang entered the house, it reluctantly followed but stayed outside without coming in.
“Wash your hands; it’s time for dinner. I’ll dish out the meals for Da Huang and the others to cool down,” Mi Niang said, taking a step, and Da Huang immediately crawled up and walked towards the door. Bahu watched it keenly and couldn’t help whistling.
“I’m filing a complaint.” Bahu’s eyes turned red, scolding, “I thought you had some determination, but it’s just this little bit.” He gestured with his pinky finger, and when Mi Niang came out, he immediately pierced through Da Huang’s facade, “Just now, while you were cooking, Da Huang was lying outside the stove door. It heard you calling, but it deliberately ignored you.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? If you had told me, I would have come out sooner. It can’t talk, and neither can you,” Mi Niang glanced sideways at Bahu. While serving the dog’s meal, she also slapped him, saying loudly, “It’s all because you enjoy watching the show. I didn’t want to laugh in the morning; it’s all your fault.”
“Da Huang, come eat. I won’t laugh at you anymore.” Mi Niang took the opportunity to pat Da Huang’s head, saying a few words, and its tail immediately wagged. By the evening, it had calmed down. It followed Mi Niang, circling around her, lively and spirited, taking a stroll around the sheep pen before returning to its kennel to sleep.
“Phew, stubborn dog.” Bahu loudly spat twice when he locked the door and returned to the house.
“Are you stirring up trouble again?” Mi Niang spread her hands and lay on the heated brick bed. It was April, but the heated brick bed hadn’t stopped. It seemed it wouldn’t until everyone left.
Bahu pursed his lips and remained silent. He hadn’t accused her of stirring up trouble yet.
“Hey, why lie so far away? Come here, and I’ll massage your shoulders.” If you didn’t loosen up a bit in the evening, you’d wake up sore the next morning.
Bahu wanted to be tough, but his body betrayed him. As soon as she spoke, he involuntarily moved closer, resembling the spiritless Da Huang.
“Oh, be gentle. It hurts so much…” Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. Inhaling sharply, he still managed to ask, “You didn’t badmouth me in front of Da Huang, did you? I suspect it doesn’t listen to me because of you. Did you tell it not to pay attention to me?”
“It’s just a dog, not a person. It’s clever and understands human emotions, but it doesn’t comprehend human language.” Mi Niang exerted force in her hands, making him grimace in pain. Despite being a grown man who usually carried himself with maturity, when it came to dogs, he lost his composure.
Bahu didn’t dare to resist further. The pain made him involuntarily roll his eyes, feeling like his shoulder bones were about to be pulled out.
From the base of the neck to the shoulder and then to the arm, Mi Niang kneaded and pounded three times. “Now it’s your turn to massage my legs; they’re swollen.”
“Wait, my arms are still weak. Let me rest a bit.” The man lay flat on the heated brick bed, and after enduring the pain, his whole body felt light. It was good to have a wife. In the past, when he lived alone in this room, he woke up and went to sleep alone. Only the two dogs accompanied him from sunrise to sunset.
But the two dogs were even less talkative than him. They only opened their mouths to eat, and they never made a sound unless absolutely necessary.
Bahu rested and sat up, lifting Mi Niang’s leg and placing it on his own. “Just focus on making three meals a day. Don’t bother with anything else. There’s a lot of work during this time, but we don’t lack just one person.” He pressed down gently, leaving an indentation on the leg, making him cautious not to exert too much force.
“Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the County Magistrate’s Hu house in Chufen to see his old friend. Let him take a look at how your leg is still swollen with the pregnancy.” The man scratched his chest, worried but afraid to express it, fearing that Mi Niang would feel uneasy.
“Aren’t you afraid of being recognized and losing face?” Mi Niang chuckled.
Bahu rubbed his face, “I have thick skin, not afraid of a laugh.”
While he wasn’t afraid of losing face, Mi Niang was. “Forget it, no need to go. I remember my mother’s legs were swollen when she was pregnant with my younger brother. I should have inherited it from her.”
At that moment, Bahu thought of his own mother. Whenever he needed her, she was never around.
“Go to bed early; you have to get up early tomorrow again.” Mi Niang withdrew her leg, lying on her side. Tomorrow, before dawn, Bahu would have to repeat the chores of the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today—checking the lambs, inspecting the condition of the ewes and cows, waiting for Uncle Chaolu and others to come and clean the sheep pen, milking, churning butter, melting ice, and letting the sheep out to graze… Milking and churning butter weren’t done just once a day; they went on from early morning to late at night. Once the flock returned to the pen, it was time for them to have dinner.
…
“AoBao, be careful when herding sheep,” Bahu pointed to the sky. “It’s getting warmer, and eagles and vultures are nesting. Don’t let them snatch away the lambs.”
“Master, rest assured; I’ve noticed that.”
Bahu didn’t stay long at the sheep herding site today. While Mi Niang took a nap, he treaded on the snow and went straight to The County Magistrate Hu’s house. He thought about waiting outside for the doctor to come out, but in this icy world, besides those who had work to do, who wouldn’t stay inside a heated room?
“Bahu? Do you need something?” The County Magistrate Hu poured a cup of clear tea and handed it over.
This time, Bahu didn’t mind the bitter taste of the tea. He gulped it down before clenching his teeth and asking if his old friend was still at the mansion.
“He is. Are you looking for him for medical treatment?” The County Magistrate Hu immediately thought of Mi Niang. Without saying a word, he had a servant fetch him, “Tell him to bring the medical kit.”
“Brother Hu, there’s a patient…” a robust voice spoke before the man entered. Bahu didn’t dare to turn around, but the voice abruptly stopped midway, and he knew the person had recognized him.
“Doctor, it’s been a long time.” He raised his eyebrows, holding onto a pair of bright red ears, greeting with a stiff smile.
“Oh, it’s been a while since we last met. I’ve been missing you since you left.” The man with the medical kit smirked, glancing at The County Magistrate Hu. “Brother Hu, is this you?”
“I’m a student. What are you two secretly plotting?” The County Magistrate Hu was incredibly curious, especially given Bahu’s shy and hesitant appearance, which was a rare sight.
“In that case, you’re not doing a good job as a teacher.”
“Doctor, I’d like to ask you to check my wife’s pulse. She’s five months pregnant, and her legs are swollen, leaving an indentation when pressed.” Bahu felt his ears burning and was afraid that the doctor would continue revealing his secrets in front of the County Magistrate Hu, so he quickly interrupted.
“Oh, she’s pregnant? I must have taught my student well then.”
